Janet Broughton is Emerita Professor of

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and former Vice Provost for the Faculty at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. Her academic research focuses on

early modern philosophy Early modern philosophy (also classical modern philosophy) Richard Schacht, ''Classical Modern Philosophers: Descartes to Kant'', Routledge, 2013, p. 1: "Seven men have come to stand out from all of their counterparts in what has come to be known ...

, in particular that of

David Hume David Hume (; born David Home; – 25 August 1776) was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist who was best known for his highly influential system of empiricism, philosophical scepticism and metaphysical naturalism. Beg ...

and

René Descartes René Descartes ( , ; ; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and Modern science, science. Mathematics was paramou ...

Education and career

Broughton attended

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...

for a year but interrupted her formal education to join the VISTA program, where she worked on community programs for preschoolers and teenagers in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

's Third Ward. Following that, she worked as a programmer and announcer for a classical music show on WRVR (now

WLTW WLTW (106.7 MHz) is an adult contemporary radio station licensed to New York, New York and serving the New York metropolitan area. WLTW is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts from studios located at 125 West 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan, ...

) in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. She returned to school and earned her B.A. in philosophy at the

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

. Broughton earned her Ph.D. in philosophy at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

with a dissertation on Descartes' theory of causation. Broughton's first academic position in philosophy was at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. She moved to the University of California, Berkeley in 1979 and served as department chair for 5 years. In 2006, she was appointed Dean of the Arts and Humanities division of Berkeley's College of Letters and Science in 2006. In 2010 she was appointed Vice Provost for the Faculty.

Select publications

* ''Descartes's Method of Doubt'

* ''A Companion to Descartes'' (co-edited with

John Carriero John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

* "The Inquiry in Hume's Treatise,"

The Philosophical Review ''The Philosophical Review'' is a quarterly journal of philosophy edited by the faculty of the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University. Since September 2006, it is published by Duke University Press. Overview The journal publishes origin ...

113 (4) (2004): 537-556. * ""Hume's Naturalism About Cognitive Norms," Philosophical Topics 31 (1/2) (2003): 1-19 * "Explaining General Ideas,"

Hume Studies ''Hume Studies'' is an interdisciplinary journal that publishes articles on the philosophical thought of David Hume. It is published by the Hume Society in April and November issues. There is Open access (publishing), open access to the journal's f ...

26 (2)(2000): 279-289. *"What does the Scientist of Man Observe?"

18 (2) (1992):155-168 *"Hume's Ideas about Necessary Connection,"

13 (2)(1987):217-244. *"Reinterpreting Descartes on the Notion of the Union of Mind and Body,"

Journal of the History of Philosophy The ''Journal of the History of Philosophy'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal. It was established in 1963 after the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association passed a motion to this effect in 1957. The journal is publi ...

16 (1)(1978): 23-32 (with Ruth Mattern).

References

External links

Janet Broughton
{{DEFAULTSORT:Broughton, Janet 20th-century American philosophers 21st-century American philosophers American historians of philosophy Living people Princeton University alumni University of California, Berkeley College of Letters and Science faculty University of California, Davis alumni American women philosophers Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American women 21st-century American women Scholars of modern philosophy